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An Exploration of my Family's Genealogy, Ancestors and Their Journey Through History
Chasing Family Ghosts
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Nov 24, 20224 min read
Franksgiving
A Tale of Two Thanksgivings There was a time when, depending on the state where you lived, the date you celebrated Thanksgiving could be...
Oct 31, 202210 min read
The Legend of the Jersey Devil
Here is a spooky story for Halloween. The New Jersey Pine Barrens is home to miles of thick, seemingly impenetrable pine tree forests and...
Oct 24, 20225 min read
The Story of "German" DNA
When people today think about the German people, they think about Germans from recent history. It may be the East/West German split,...
Oct 3, 20224 min read
My Viking Group
I received an email from Living DNA, a site that I have used for general ancestry results, that claimed: "Now, using the latest academic...
Jul 11, 20225 min read
The Huguenots
Welcome to my 150th Post! Since a number of my relatives were Huguenots, particularly the DuBois family, I will now tell you a bit about...
Jul 3, 20227 min read
Gettysburg: The Semicentennial
This year marks the 159th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought the from the 1st to the 3rd of July 1863. It was considered...
Jun 19, 20226 min read
The Mother of Father's Day
After telling the origin of Mother's Day, I will now relate how Father's Day came to be a national holiday. In 1909, twenty-eight year...
May 30, 20229 min read
An American Heroine
On a blistering hot day in June 1778, young Mary Hays became an American Legend. While she is not in my family tree, I have a special...
May 8, 20228 min read
The Mother of Mother's Day
Celebrating mothers is not exclusively an American practice. Mothers are celebrated around the world (and on different days) with a wide...
Apr 24, 20223 min read
DNA Origins Update
It would seem that my DNA Origins changes over time, or at least that is what appears to happen on Ancestry.com. Since my first blog...
Apr 17, 20224 min read
The Origin of the Easter Bunny
As we observe Christianity's holiest day, one might wonder how the floppy-eared, fuzzy-tailed animal became associated with it. After...
Mar 7, 20222 min read
Fasnacht
This post comes a a little late since Fasnacht occurred this past Tuesday, 1 March. A while ago, I came across a article on the...
Jan 1, 20224 min read
Hogmanay
Here is a tradition that was probably practiced by my Scottish ancestors in the Old World. Hogmanay is the Scottish name for new year...
Dec 25, 20213 min read
Christmas Cookies
Who doesn't enjoy a good Christmas cookie? But have you ever thought about the history of them? Those who would like to take credit for...
Nov 25, 20218 min read
Two Presidents and the Mother of Thanksgiving
When most people think of Thanksgiving, they conjure images of Pilgrims and Indians. While the first "Thanksgiving" occurred in 1621...
Jun 28, 20213 min read
Indian Raids on the Pennsylvania Frontier
The early German settlers of Pennsylvania bore the brunt of savage attacks made by Indians during those terrible years of the French and...
Jun 7, 20214 min read
Golden Rules of Genealogy
Here is a list of "golden rules" that I came across online and thought I would share. They are in no particular order. 1. Spelling...
May 31, 20214 min read
Memorial Day, Not Just the Unofficial Start of Summer
To many Americans, most federal holidays are merely a day off from work. Memorial Day is no different, except that it also signifies the...
May 3, 20215 min read
New Sweden, The Time Before Penn
Most people are familiar with the British, Dutch, Spanish and French colonies that were established in America, but probably not as much...
Dec 25, 20204 min read
St. Nick's Enforcers
Kids today have it easy. Growing up, we were told to be good throughout the year for we would be rewarded at Christmas since Santa Claus...
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